Sorry about all the kids!
Did you bring cookies?
she asks, noticing the bag in my hand.
Balenciaga pantabodysuit. Hood London hat and sunglasses. Khaite backpack. Cartier necklace.
So sorry about that, she says, brushing her hair out of her face.
Id love to bake with you!
(She also has a new movie,It Ends With Us,out in August.)
Jackman and Lively (in a LaQuan Smith dress and a Cartier necklace) share a scene with (from left) George McNally, Marc Kudisch, Ali Fazal (in a Sabyasachi coat), Paloma Elsesser (in a McQueen by Seán McGirr dress), Simon Jones, Anthony Michael Lopez, Morgan Spector (in a Tanner Fletcher jacket), Dayle Haddon (in a Louis Vuitton jacket, Cartier necklace), and Amanda Murphy.
Her face, beautiful in its planes and shadows, faceted by the setting sun, is equally expressive.
Because he celebrates love.
Nobody does love like that.
Jackman wears a Charvet scarf.
Im a very shy person, so I dont like doing photo shoots, really.
Because when Im acting, Im playing a character.
And I dont…I dont feel super comfortable in front of a camera.
Lively in a Jacquemus swimsuit with matching towel. Jackman wears a Bode shirt and shorts, Tom Ford sunglasses, and Officine Creative shoes.
Its part of why I dont want to be in magazines.
Because I just, she adds, becoming quiet as she goes back to the package of cookies.
Im just too shy.
Hood London hat and sunglasses.
I wonder how someone so effusive could call herself shy.
Even if its just a week doing a photo shoot forVogue,thats still working with him.
Lively wears a Dolce & Gabbana dress and Christian Louboutin shoes.
Seeing through his lens and how he tells stories.
I understand Im lucky to do it.
Mischief is what I love.
Lively in a Louis Vuitton winged cape.
She finishes the cookie and brushes off the crumbs.
Her ear jewelry sparkles in the light.
Lively tells me about going to theVogueoffices for a fitting before the shoot.
Lively wears a Michael Kors Collection dress and Cartier High Jewelry necklace. Hugh Jackman wears a Ralph Lauren Purple Label suit.
She shakes her head, laughing.
There was no pinning of clothes.
And later we realized we didnt take a single fitting photo!
Jackman and Lively (in a Gucci dress and Bulgari High Jewelry earrings and ring), joined by Simon Jones and Michael Philouze.
Because thats what he does, sweeps you up into his world, she says.
Luhrmann laughs remembering the scene.
We must have a sense of play, he says.
Blake has come around to my side of the table, and I had Elizabeth Taylors necklace!
Elizabeth Taylors necklace in myhand.I have to show you.
Whether its public or private, that man shows up!
), and how can you not be swept up in it?
I wonder if that is what makes a star: this drive to create.
The grit and determination to make something from nothing.
Jackman wears a Charvet scarf.
Should we order something?
I think Im going to go with fish.
And then we are on to the subject of Halloween costumes…. Its…its astonishing to me.
I ask him what he thinks it is, the transformation.
Its someone who is comfortable in their own skin, is how he explains it.
You cant make that happen.
You cant bestow it on someone.
She says shes shy.
And I believe that.
I think theres a shyness there.
Ive seen it before.
Nicole Kidman and others have it.
Theres a shyness, and it leads into this ability to morph and shape-shift.
And shes, as I said, walking around in pajamas and then five minutes laterits Elizabeth Taylor!
At the height of her beauty.
And youre like, What?
And its totally…its miraculous.
Its a beautiful thing to watch.
Luhrmann has something to say on this subject as well.
It may sound corny, he tells me, but a movie star projects light.
Theyre more luminous in a scene or on the screen.
Being with Blake Lively is not like being with any of her characters.
Lively in a Jacquemus swimsuit with matching towel.
Jackman wears a Bode shirt and shorts, Tom Ford sunglasses, and Officine Creative shoes.
And I love design.
It is creation, in fact, that is the main subject of our time together.
Youve got to have passion.
I ask if she writes.
Blake tilts her head, suddenly curious.
She plays with the big blue ring on her finger.
My husband did an interview where they asked, Whats something surprising that people dont know about your wife?
And he said: Its that shes a writer.
She writes on every movie she works on.
And the interviewer said: And thebaking?
And the baking, right?
Shes a great baker.
It was just such an interesting moment.
I dont know if its a female thing or not.
They want to talk about the baking.
Im sorry I asked to bake together, I say, a little abashed.
Im a terrible baker.
Why did you ask about writing?
I say the question occurred to me the night before.
I had read about all her creative endeavors, and something about that restlessness felt familiar.
And it just brought everything to life.)
I ask Lively if she would ever write something from scratch.
Saying no, no, no, theres something there!
To me, its a treasure hunt.
And so when I can see the treasure, then I get to be an archaeologist.
That, to me, is what I love.
The last light glints from another ring, a bright coil around a finger.
After this Ill make you an oatmeal cappuccino, she says brightly.
Everyone I talk to emphasizes her commitment as a mother.
I talk to Hoover, who has spent a great deal of time with Lively and her family.
As a mom, I just really fell in love with that part of her.
Feig says the same: Shes the best, one of the best moms Ive ever seen.
Feig also touches on the question of a movie star.
From my experience, movie stars have a charisma that is undeniable.
Theres lots of good actors who simply arent movie stars.
He pauses for a moment.
Blake just happens to be a great actress who also is a movie star.
And when youve got those two things, then the skys the limit.
A giant geodesic dome rises in the darkness behind us.
I realize we are set up right beside the zoo.
A little later, a shout:
Okay, lets go!
Lively in a Louis Vuitton winged cape.
It is Blake, all in pearls.
Her hair is done; her makeup is done.
She merrily lifts the strands to hoist herself into the car.
I ask if she needs help with the ancient marble steps.
Blake pauses for a moment, measuring the physics of it all.
Take hold of my arm, she tells me.
I have to hold the dress.
And so, holding her arm, we descend into the splashing grotto in the heart of Rome.
Bright lights are on us, and a crowd is gathered, kept at a distance by yellow tape.
Isnt that what luck is, really?
Opportunity followed by hard work?
Blake nods, considering this.
Lively wears a Michael Kors Collection dress and Cartier High Jewelry necklace.
Hugh Jackman wears a Ralph Lauren Purple Label suit.
Blake yells, and suddenly we are headed up to the gelato bar on the piazza.
Elaine often comes along to help with the kids.
Blake has mentioned her mother, how growing up she always told her: You cant mess it up.
And Icouldvery much mess it up!
And shes somebody whos just like, Go go!
Learn as you go!
I want two cups, Blake says to the young woman behind the counter.
Swift, like Jackman, is someone she holds dear.
Suddenly, here she is: the person I came to see.
She walks toward the camera, and just for a moment, none of us can breathe.
For Jackman: grooming, Thomas Dunkin.
For supporting talent: hair, Edward Lampley; makeup, Liselotte van Saarloos.
Tailors: Carol Ai and Lucy Falck; manicurist: Elle Gerstein using Dior Le Baume.
The September issue is here featuring Blake Lively.
